‘All I can do is pray for the people who are in its path’: Coastal residents evacuate to Tallahassee

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA ) — Evacuations along the coast continue as hundreds are packing up and heading north, with many sheltering in Tallahassee as the state awaits Hurricane Milton.

Efforts in the capital city are a priority Tuesday night as hotels, shelters, and rentals provide refuge for people from the Tampa Bay area. Some Floridian’s only option is to evacuate away from the coast.

Tom Larson, evacuating from Pasco County, said hurricanes are nothing new to him. Larson has grown up in Florida his whole life, but something about this storm made him finally decide to leave his family home behind.

“This is nothing new, but this is the first example of a hurricane where I am actually evacuating,” said Larson.

Larson has lived through a number of storms, but after seeing the devastation Hurricane Helene left behind, he felt he needed to get as far away from the eye of the storm as possible.

And that’s when Rorry Lovins came to the rescue.

Lovins, who owns and operates 13 short-term rental homes in Tallahassee with Pink Porch Tally , shared that people had been booking up her properties as early as last week.

“We are just trying to work with people and trying to set their mind at ease as much as possible because it’s extraordinarily stressful and you never know what you are going to go back to,” said Lovins.

“All I can do is pray for the people who are in its path.”

Miles away from home, Larson and his family have some advice for those who find themselves in the path of the storm,

“Stay safe, stay with family and friends, help each other, and good luck to you,” said Larson.

With an extremely powerful storm heading to Florida in the coming days, residents are struggling to leave behind their homes on the coast but are taking comfort in putting their safety first.

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